Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WHITEHALL TWP. — Familiarity sometimes feeds success.
And this time, it helped Wyoming Seminary to an old familiar feeling.
A berth in a ninth state field hockey title game.
Aubrey Mytych and Alex Wesneski kept finding new ways to score goals, Kelsey Reznick and the Blue Knights defense threw a shutout Tuesday and Sem dominated Oley Valley 2-0 in a PIAA Class A semifinal game at Whitehall’s Zephyr Complex.
That’s where the Blue Knights (22-2) will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, playing Greenwood, a 3-1 winner over Newport in another state semifinal, for the Class A state championship.
“Oh, it feels amazing,” Mytych said. “I wasn’t ever there before. I’m so happy I get to go with the girls on my team.”
For a second, it looked like she was getting ready for softball season.
The game’s first goal came off a hard shot off the stick of Julia Christian, which hopped thigh-high into the air.
Mytych, an outfielder on Sem’s softball team, swiveled her hips and took a short swing at the floating ball as if she were reaching for an outside pitch.
She connected, driving the game’s first goal into the back of the cage with 21:24 to play in the first half.
“I just kept my stick down,” Mytych said. “I knew she (Christian) was shooting the ball in front. I just had to stay home. I just reached out and touched the ball, I turned around and saw it went in.”
It was the third time in four games Mytych found a unique way to put the ball in the cage. She scored the first goal of a 2-0 District 2 championship victory over Lake-Lehman by diving to poke in a ball slinking in front of the cage, chipped in a high-arching goal in Saturday’s state quarterfinal win and followed up with her low liner to put Sem in front Tuesday.
“We said we needed to come out and score first,” said Wyoming Seminary coach Karen Klassner, who will guide the Blue Knights into their ninth state final. “And you could not let them back in the game. That’s what we were concerned about.”
Turns out, no worries at all.
Reznick, a junior midfielder, shadowed Oley Valley playmaker and leading scorer Sophia Gladieux — who has 50 goals this season — and never allowed her to make an impact.
“If you can take Sophia out of the game, their offense kind of revolves around her,” Klassner said. “She was against Kelsey Reznick; they’re both excellent players.”
Reznick knew just what to do.
“I play with her all the time, she’s on my club team,” Reznick said of Gladieux, her teammate on X-Caliber. “We’re really good friends. I just stayed on her the whole time. It’s just being spacially aware of where she is and not letting the ball get to her. And if it does, don’t panic.”
The Blue Knights were hardly flustered by an Oley Valley team that went to last year’s state finals, won 50 of its past 52 games over the past two years, was ranked No. 13 in the nation and No. 8 in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Region by Max Field Hockey and entered the state semis on a 24-game winning streak.
“Our kids did a really good job,” Klassner said. “We really should have scored (more). We had a lot of scoring opportunities and we didn’t put the ball in the cage. Our kids just played an all-around great game.”
Sem gained some breathing room by striking again in the strangest of ways at the very end of the opening half.
With no time remaining, the Blue Knights were awarded three consecutive penalty corners. And Wesneski cashed in the third try the same way she opened Saturday’s 3-1 victory over New Hope-Solebury in the quarterfinals — by chipping a goal high into the cage for a two-goal advantage.
“We definitely wanted to set the tone and keep the intensity,” Mytych said. “I think we did a great job of that. We felt good, but we knew they’re a second-half team.”
Reznick & Co. made sure the second half went much like the first for Oley Valley, which finished 24-2.
The Blue Knights fought off six cards which sent players off the field and fended off five corners by the Lynx to wrap up the shutout and trip to the state title game.
“I think 2-0 is the most dangerous score,” Reznick said. “I think you always have to think the score is 0-0. Because if they score one goal, they’re back in the game. We did a great job defensively of stopping them. Of course we wanted a shutout, it was our goal.
“Really, we just wanted to win.”
Once they did, the Blue Knights were on their way to a state final for the first time since winning the PIAA Class 2A title in 2013.
“Amazing,” Reznick said. “I’m a junior and we didn’t make it to states the past two years. To make it this far is great.
“When time ran out, tears started going into my eyes.”
PIAA CLASS A SEMIFINAL
Wyoming Seminary 2, Oley Valley 0
Wyoming Seminary`2`0`—`2
Oley Valley`0`0`—`0
First half — 1. SEM, Aubrey Mytych (Julia Christian), 21:24; 2. SEM, Alex Wesneski (Cameron Litjens), 0:00.
Shots — SEM 7; OV 2. Saves — SEM 2 (Mia Magnotta); OV 5 (Rachel Levan). Penalty corners — SEM 8; OV 5.
